Reaching out the new generation: education and fun time at the Lycée Français Georges Pompidou

The UAE Dolphin Project works towards its educational goals, in all languages: this time was French! The Project was accepted as one of the exhibitors at the annual Kermesse at the French school, Lycée Français Georges Pompidou, that took place on Friday 1st March 2013.

It was a lovely day full of fun! The event was organised as a big game where children were kitted out with a mini log book and had to collect stamps for each activity proposed in each stall. At our stall, we provided general information about the project and a dedicated poster showing the three dolphin species most commonly reported in Dubai coastal waters: the Indo-Pacific bottlenose, the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin and the finless porpoise. We also gave some simple information on how identify them at sea. The challenge for the children was to rebuild three big puzzles each of them representing a dolphin species in the shortest time possible. All children from 3 to 12 years old enjoyed playing with them! The level of difficulty was adjusted by proposing one or more species together.

We introduced the game explaining to the children and their parents that seeing dolphins in the wild in the UAE is a real possibility! Just look out when you are at sea! We then gave them one clue on how to recognise the different species and after that the timer was started for one minute and the children had to reshape the puzzle of their choice. Some of the children took it as a real challenge as they came back twice or three times to make them quicker and quicker!

Thank you to AIPE, association of parents who organized the Kermesse, to Mary and all the parents that kindly helped to animate the stall! We hope to see you next year!!